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62 AFLOAT.com.au February 2016
To Alan Stannard, work was his
lifeblood, a source of challenge and
satisfaction. During his life, Alan became
known for his work ethic and honesty, and
as an innovator – a man who did not see
a problem but an opportunity. It was this
drive that saw the first small tugboats in
Australia servicing numerous ports, and
the introduction of the first Australian-built
supply vessels to oil rigs in Bass Strait.
Alan Graham Stannard was born on
16 January 1922 in the family home in
Stannards Place, North Sydney, the first
child of waterman and launch proprietor,
Albert Stannard, and his wife, Enid (nee
Davies).
The fourth generation of what was
already a well-known Sydney maritime
family, Alan had an idyllic childhood on
the shores of Sydney Harbour ... “mucking
about in and on the water”, swimming and
paddling in canoes made from galvanized
iron, before graduating to an old timber
dinghy, which he and his friends would row
up-wind and sail down-wind, using an old
bed sheet as a sail. As his skills improved, so
did his sailboats and he moved up to racing
skiffs with the Greenwich Flying Squadron.
Educated at Sydney Grammar, Alan
matriculated to Sydney University, where he
began his studies in economics. But when
the World War II broke out, he was needed
in the family business so he transferred
to evening study, working with his father
during the day.
In 1941, Alan applied to the RAAF
but was rejected because he was colour
blind. He then joined the Australian Army
and quickly found himself on a ship to
Singapore, not long before the island fell to
the Japanese in February 1942. Along with
many thousands of his compatriots and
their allies, Alan was incarcerated in Changi
prison, enduring more than three years
of deprivation and hardship. He returned
to Australia after Changi was liberated
in 1945, suffering from malnutrition and
temporarily blind.
His health restored, in January 1946
Alan again joined his father at work. It was
a busy time for Stannards. While Alan’s
forebears had built the Stannard company,
it was Alan who would bring it into the
modern world, using a combination of what
he termed “business nous and waterfront
experience”.
Alan would not expect an employee to
do a job he hadn’t either done himself or was
not prepared to do, and he was respected
by all who worked for him. While long hours
were expected at peak times, wages were
over-award, with perks like housing and
cars, and time off given at quiet times. He
always joined the crew of his vessels as an
equal, treating them as the friends they
were. He was both respected and liked.
One long-time employee, the late
Bill Sumner, described Stannards during
Alan’s stewardship as “the best company
in Australia to work for ... you were taught
to look after a boat and to do your own
engine work. You learnt to run lines, tow
barges, and deal with the public – from
celebrities to wharfies. You did picnics,
stevedoring and cargo work and you did
all that in a week”.
In October 1946, Alan attended a
friend’s wedding in Melbourne and met
Marie Terry. It was love at first sight, and
the couple married on 31 May 1947. Three
children followed: Christopher, Michele
(Mindy), and Bradley.
In 1951, now in control of the business,
Alan was finally able to expand – something
his father had been reticent to do. The
Stannard name became a by-word for
innovation in ports all over Australia, as
well as in their original home of Sydney
Harbour.
Many Sydneysiders will remember the
vast boatyard that Alan Stannard created
on the eastern side of Berrys Bay, where
the firm built numerous tugs, lighters, line
boats and launches for both themselves and
clients. Many are still afloat and working. He
bought the Nicholson ferry fleet in 1968 and,
thanks to the generosity of the Stannard
family, one of those ferries, Protex, is now
operated by the Sydney Heritage Fleet.
During his career, Alan bought other
ferry and cruise companies and expanded
the business into South Australia,
Queensland, Tasmania, the Northern
Territory and Papua New Guinea. At
various times, Alan also operated taxis, a
small trucking business and imported cars
from Japan, as well as owning a farm and
a holiday resort.
Alan Stannard retired in 1979. His
son Christopher continues to operate
Stannard Marine, including the marina
and tugboats in South Australia and the
Northern Territory, while his other son,
Bradley, concentrates on the land-based
Stannard interests.
Marie died in 2009 but Alan found
happiness again when he married Joan
Turner. The couple lived a quiet life in
Bowral in the NSW southern highlands
until Alan’s death on 16 November 2015.
Alan Stannard is survived by Joan,
his sons Christopher and Bradley, eight
grandchildren, his step-children – Robyn,
Jenny and Ian – and nine step-grandchildren.
h Randi Svensen
ALAN STANNARD 1922-2015
HELMSMAN OF “THE BEST COMPANY
IN AUSTRALIA TO WORK FOR”
Alan in uniform with his father Alby.
Alan Stannard with his parents Albert and
Enid taken just after the war.
“I loved to work. It wasn’t work the way most people think of work but something I
genuinely derived a great deal of pleasure from. I enjoyed it. I loved the thrill of it.”